Vernon Gholston Scouting Report

Vernon Gholston, DE, Ohio State

Vernon Gholston is quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with. Gholston started all 12 regular season games at DE for the Ohio State for the second straight year. The fourth year junior finished with 15.5 tackles for loss this season, 14 of them sacks. The 6'4", 264 lbs. Buckeye is practically a fixture in opposing backfields the last two seasons. In November, he could be seen abusing the vaunted Michigan O-Line for 3 sacks and was the only man to beat Jake Long for a sack this season. Gholston has tallied 86 tackles, 30.5 tackles for loss, 22.5 sacks, and even intercepted a pass since being inserted into the starting lineup in 2006. Gholston plays what Ohio State calls the "Leo" end, a position that has to both pass rush and be able to drop into coverage when the Buckeyes are playing zone. He possesses excellent speed for a player his size and shows good instincts, playing the run and the pass. According to Ohio State's athletic website, Gholston benches 455 lbs., making him one of the strongest players on the team. Gholston shows tremendous promise. He displays good pass rushing moves and rarely will you find him out of position. After deciding to declare, Gholston should go somewhere between the top to middle of the first round. Vernon Gholston was, along with Darren McFadden and Dustin Keller, one of the stars of the combine. Gholston is the quintessential work-out warrior. He ran an impressive 4.67 in the 40 yard dash. Even more impressive was his 37 reps on the bench press, matching Michigan's Jake Long. He showed off his athleticism even further with a 35 1/2" vertical leap and a 10'5" broad jump. Gholston can play defensive end in the 4-3 or outside linebacker in the 3-4, making an option for any team in the top ten. Just when it looks like Vernon Gholston can't improve his stock anymore, he does. He ran an impressive 4.58 40 yard dash at Ohio State's pro day. Gholston also managed to top his vertical leap from the combine by jumping 42 inches. Gholston can play 4-3 DE or 3-4 OLB and would be a good fit for any team in the top 8 picks, particularly St. Louis, New York, New England, or Baltimore.